


Like Birds

by itsaquinnquinnsituation



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-30
Updated: 2014-11-30
Packaged: 2018-02-27 12:11:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2692490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsaquinnquinnsituation/pseuds/itsaquinnquinnsituation
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if the tables were turned? A look from a different angle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like Birds

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work of fiction, intended for entertainment purposes only. I do not mean to offend or insult anyone. No characters, real or based off real people, belong to me. I am not making money off my work.
> 
> This is my universe and exactly how I see it. Writing should be enjoyed, not judged.
> 
> A bit of my usual ragged and undercooked fluff.

His hands were shaking. 

He dialed a familiar extension – the one he could dial with his eyes closed - and in his sleep - and his voice shook just as much as his hands did, when he immediately heard the usual greeting.

“Please tell me you know what you are doing.”

“I’m on top of it. Yes.”

“Does it warrant a press statement?”

“Not yet.”

He sighed and buried his face in his hands:

“I want them off that cruise ship. Right now.”

“They’ve been off for almost half-an-hour.”

“Where are they now?”

“On their way to the hotel.”

“The same hotel?”

“Yes. Separate rooms.”

“Like that’s ever helped. I want our people all over the place!”

“You got it” – The voice on the other end paused, - “Relax. You are going to give yourself an aneurism.”

“Aneurisms don’t just happen, Harry, they are not like a heart attack, it’s not like you can… just… just… get one!”

“Okay. Okay, alright, sure.”

The man on the other line disconnected. Louis sighed. He got up and walked over to a glass wall, which overlooked neighbouring skyscrapers. He saw a pair of small birds chasing each other through the gray stretch of the sky. 

His office door opened. 

A man walked in without saying a word, proceeded to set a transparent mug filled with steaming liquid onto a sleek office desk, then turned around, walked back to the door and locked it from the inside. Louis just watched him.

“What’s this?”

“Chamomile tea. You need to relax.”

He shivered:

“Tell me what happened.”

“I thought you read the email… that’s why you called me?”

“No” – He shook his head, - “Not all of it. I… couldn’t finish.”

“Okay” – the man took a step closer, - “Lucas had a bit too much liquor. So did one of the guests. Words were exchanged. Some… “ – He hesitated, - “Some… hateful comments. Lucas blew up. Fight ensued. Niels intervened. No one was hurt.”

“But?”

“Pictures were leaked. And some information.”

“What kind of information?”

“Some rumours. The usual stuff.”

“The… the…”

“Yes. But I’m handling it.”

“Harry!” – He threw his hands in the air, turned away and walked to the window, halting just before he could walk right through and shatter it. 

“Relax” – Harry walked up behind him, - “It’s no worse than the usual stuff. If the paps take the bait, we’ll toss out a red herring. Some photoshopped pictures. Whatever you want.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“We’ve been doing it for years. I always have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

“I have to talk to them.”

“It just got a bit much. Lucas snapped.”

“They are just kids!”

Harry agreed:

“Yes, I know.”

They stood in silence, looking through the glass.

“It just hurts so much.”

Harry nodded:

“I understand.”

“Do you? It hurts me because I can feel their pain and on top of it, I feel like a hypocrite!”

“But you shouldn’t.”

“I keep telling myself that if it were not I, someone else could have made it much worse for the boys.”

“Yes, that’s true. You do what you can. What you can get away with... what's in your power.”

“But I don’t know if that’s enough!”

“Every job has to be done.”

“Am I just doing my job?”

Harry shrugged.

“Sometimes I ask myself – is it worth it? I mean I am putting them through so much – I mean *I* – *I* am doing it! I don’t want to do it, but I have to!”

“They know.”

“I mean, goddamn, sometimes I just watch them and… and I just want to… fuck, I don’t know, I want to crack my head on a rock, because… what I see is two people wanting to be happy, and I have to stand there and tell them they can’t!”

“It’s a business.”

“It’s life! It’s people! People’s stories! You should see some of the stuff I come across on these internet forums…”

Harry sighed:

“You need to stop reading those.”

“It is so easy to hate.”

“Easy to hate someone you don’t know. It’s really easy.”

Louis shook his head and made a tiny whimpering noise that caused Harry’s face to soften immediately:

“Come on now, Lou. You want me to book a vacation? You’ve been stuck here too long. How about a hotel? A beach, some martinis? What do you say?”

“Yes…be…because you and I can get away with just booking separate rooms. For us, that’s enough. For them – I have to fucking keep them on opposite sides of the country! Or on two different continents – that’s even better!”

“You can’t save everyone.”

Louis pondered:

“Didn’t you once think that you can change the world?”

“Yes. I was young and ambitious. Then I started this job and - here we are. We are just pawns in the game.”

“Whose game?”

“I don’t know.”

Louis leaned back onto the glass wall, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. From the side, it looked like he was half-floating in air:

“I just wish things were different. I wish they could be free. I wish you and I could be free. You know. Like birds.”

Harry smiled gently:

“You *are* my bird” – He took his hand and placed it onto his chest, - “Right here.”

Louis smiled, blinking at him, and allowed him to hold his hand.

“If I could change the world for you, Louis, I would. If I could change people’s minds and attitudes…”

Louis closed his eyes again.

“But for now… you can think of it as a game. You know, what’s a bit of sneaking around? With your direct subordinate of all people?”

“Oh my god” – Louis buried his face in his hand and whimper-laughed, - “You always think of just the way to describe it!”

“Well, if it makes you laugh… Hey” – He lifted Louis’ chin with his hand, - “You know what it really is. That’s what matters.”

“That’s what I keep thinking. About them, too. That at the end of the day, when they come home, they still have each other. If nothing else changes, that still remains.”

“Yeah” – Harry tilted his head and eyed him, - “You should probably go home too, Lou. You look exhausted. You’ve been working too much.”

“Yeah?” – Louis narrowed his eyes, sad, strung out, and restless, - “Will you take me?”

Harry opened his arms:

“Yes, of course.”


End file.
